


The Suburbs

by cryptidbf, denounce



Series: Wilshire Heights [1]
Category: L.A. Noire
Genre: (not written ofc), Consensual Underage Sex, Crushes, F/F, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, High School, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Modern Era, Mutual Pining, Unrequited Crush, captains are teachers and so are some other characters, for reference: marie's last name is boutin, we'll add more as we go on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 20:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14601300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryptidbf/pseuds/cryptidbf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/denounce/pseuds/denounce
Summary: After Cole left for New York over the summer, Stefan was left alone with the realization that he's in love with him. He thinks it's unrequited, but little does he know that it wasColewho fell first.Now Cole's back just in time for junior year, but can they sort out their feelings before something gets in their way?(Modern High School AU. Comes with a playlist and aesthetic boards within.)





	The Suburbs

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! kind of an odd AU to apply to this cast of characters, but we had a lot of fun writing this so we hope y'all have fun reading it!
> 
> as promised, here are the links to the playlist and boards:
> 
>  **Playlist:** http://tinyurl.com/thesuburbsfic  
>  **Boards:** https://www.pinterest.com/henrytomasinos/fic-the-suburbs/

Somebody had once said absence makes the heart grow fonder.

That somebody had actually been Stefan’s sister Milena when Cole left at the beginning of the summer. He’d shrugged it off, at first— and then, a week later, it hit him that she was right. The longer Cole was gone, the more Stefan missed him. It was _strange_ not having Cole around all the time; Stefan was too used to walking outside of his house in the morning to see Cole at the mailbox or watering his mother’s plants or getting ready for a run. He would always offer him a smile and a wave, leaving an odd feeling in Stefan’s chest that he’d only realized a few weeks ago was his heart fluttering. On that same night, his hand had slipped beneath his waistband to the thought of that very smile— among other things.

He had it bad and he knew it, but he just wished he’d realized it _before_ Cole left and he had to spend an entire summer stewing over his feelings. He almost wants to laugh at how ridiculous the situation is: guy realizes he’s in love with his best friend while said best friend is out of town for the summer. He’s pretty sure there’s at least _twelve_ books just like that on Milena’s shelf— not that he’s ever read them or anything. The point is that it’s cliche, a borderline romcom.

Stefan just hopes this romcom actually has a happy ending.

As it is, he’s sitting on his front porch with Roy right now, waiting for the very boy on his mind. He’d all but leapt for his phone when Cole’s text notification went off— and almost dropped it in his rush to reply. _I’ll be coming home a week early_. It was just seven words, but with the way they made him feel, Cole might as well had have texted him a love letter.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts by Roy waving a plastic wrapper in his face. “Earth to Bekowsky,” Roy says, and he’s chewing on a popsicle stick, “Where’s your brain at, hm?” He tosses the wrapper in the steadily growing pile behind them. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for a full five minutes.”

Stefan scoffs. “It hasn’t been _five_ minutes,” he says, “I was just—”

“Thinking about Cole,” Roy cuts in, pulling the popsicle stick out of his mouth and gesturing with it, “I mean, we all know you’re head over heels with the guy. Anybody with eyes can see it.” The popsicle stick joins the pile, as he moves to pull out a pack of cigarettes instead and stick one between his teeth. He lights it before continuing. “I’m just surprised it took you this long to realize it.” A pause, as he takes a long drag. “Or maybe I’m not. You never were the brightest bulb in the box when it came to these things.”

Stefan rolls his eyes and holds his hand out. “Gee, _thanks,_ ” he says, and when Roy offers him a cigarette, he takes it. He pulls out his own lighter from the pocket of his shorts. “It’s not like I _intended_ on having a crush on him, y’know?” He takes a minute to light the cigarette and blow out smoke. “It just kind of… happened.”

“And it’s _been_ happening since, like, eighth grade,” Roy says, tone incredibly dry. He flicks ash onto the sidewalk. “Face it, buddy. This little realization of yours has been a long time coming.”

With a snort, Stefan reaches over to lightly punch Roy in the shoulder. “Come on, give me a break,” he says, and he takes a drag of his cigarette, “If this was _your_ problem, I wouldn’t be holding it over your head like this.”

“Oh, like you’ve never made fun of me for who _I_ like before,” Roy snarks, “It seems to be one of your favorite hobbies.”

That gets a grin out of Stefan. “You gotta admit your crush on Jack was pretty hilarious,” he says, “I mean, he’s _Jack_ and you’re—” A pause, as his eyebrows furrow. He makes a vague gesture. “ _You_.”

Roy gives him an unamused look. “Uh-huh,” he says, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you’re a wonderful, incredible person who I am so very lucky to know and have as a friend,” Stefan says, almost _too_ innocently. “Well, and you’re high maintenance. Conceited, too.”

“Bekowsky, I’m not afraid to fight you in your own front yard—”   

It’s then that the garage of the house next door— the Phelps residence— begins to rumble open. Stefan snaps his attention back to Roy, practically beaming. Roy merely rolls his eyes and says, “Put your dumb smile away. It’s blinding me and I didn’t bring sunglasses.”

Stefan continues to grin, putting the cigarette out on the porch and setting it down. “See, normally, I’d have something to say to that,” he remarks, “but right now, I couldn’t care less about anything that’s _not_ Cole.”

Roy pretends to gag. “That’s sickening,” he says, “Go be a lovesick fool somewhere else.”

“Roy, last time I checked, this is _my_ house,” Stefan says, “You signed up for this the moment you came over and sat with me.”

Scoffing, Roy opens his mouth to retort, but he’s cut off by the sound of a car approaching. A silver SUV pulls into the driveway, coming to a sudden stop before it reaches the garage. That’s when Cole comes practically tumbling out of the backseat, door slamming behind him as he kicks it shut with his foot. From the driver’s seat, his mother Hermione leans out of the window with a pout on her face while his father Eugene just chuckles from the passenger’s seat. “Cole William Phelps,” Hermione starts, “ _please_ close the door with your _hands!_ ”

“Sorry, mother!” Cole calls over his shoulder, and when he turns back to Stefan and Roy, he smiles a smile that lights up his whole face. The first thing Stefan notices is the lack of braces, his teeth perfectly white and straight— he must’ve had them taken off in New York. He doesn’t get to think too hard about it before Cole borderline sprints up to them, throwing his arms around Stefan in a tight hug, as if they haven’t seen each other in years. “ _God,_ I missed you so much,” he mumbles, face buried in Stefan’s shoulder.

Stefan hopes Cole can’t feel the way his heart suddenly picks up its pace. Laughing slightly, he moves to return the hug. “Jeez, I missed you too,” he says, “It’s only been a few weeks.”

Next to them, Roy lets out a laugh of his own. “Don’t listen to him,” he says, “The bastard’s been moping ever since you left.”

Cole pulls away then, that smile refusing to leave his face. It takes Stefan a moment to register it, but… he doesn’t have his glasses on, either, his icy blue eyes even _more_ piercing without a lens in front of them. He keeps one arm around Stefan as he gestures for Roy to come closer. “Good to know,” he says, and he pauses to breathe out a relieved chuckle. “I was afraid nobody would care.”

“Are you fuckin’ kidding?” Stefan asks, and when Roy doesn’t immediately move to join, he tugs him in by the side of his shirt. “You’re the glue that holds this group together. I almost killed Roy at _least_ ten times this summer.”

Roy scoffs and rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t have been complaining if you weren’t being, like, a total idiot.”

Stefan delivers a quick, almost unnoticeable jab to Roy’s side with his elbow. “He missed you, too,” he says, “but he’ll never admit it. He thinks he’s too cool to be a sap.”

Cole snorts. “ _Really?_ ” He turns to Roy at that, hand over his mouth as he chortles softly. “You cried like a baby when we saw _Toy Story 3_ in fourth grade.”

“They were prepared to _die,_ Cole,” Roy says, scoffing again, “Anybody would cry over that.”

Cole rolls his eyes, waving a hand dismissively. “ _Jack_ didn’t cry,” he says— then, he pauses, one brow raised as he stares up at Roy. “How’s that going, by the way? The whole Jack… crush… _thing._ ” He’s gesturing vaguely with his free hand, his other hand still resting on Stefan’s back.

“You’re implying Jack Kelso has any emotions whatsoever,” Roy deadpans.

“In other words,” Stefan starts, “not good.”

“He rejected me with a _text,_ ” Roy says, and he’s all but pouting, “Who does that?”

Stefan hums, reaching up to ruffle Roy’s hair. “I spent, like, two days trying to console him,” he says, “You’d think Jack had broken up with him instead of just rejecting him.”

Cole frowns, placing a gentle hand on Roy’s shoulder. “If you ever need to talk,” he starts, glancing at Stefan as well, “ _both_ of you, I’m always here.” He pauses, a smile crossing his face. “But— I’m sure you two know that.”

“Of course,” Stefan says, and now he’s ruffling Cole’s hair instead. That bright, sunny grin is on his face again. “It’s good to have you back, Cole. I don’t know how we got by without you.”

Smile only widening, Cole pulls both Stefan and Roy into a genuinely _loving_ hug. “I don’t know how _I_ got by without _you,_ ” he says, eyes fluttering shut. “I could hardly fall _asleep_ for the first week. I just— I don’t know, I missed getting up every morning knowing that you two were close by.” He gives a sheepish grin. “I hope that makes sense.”

“Makes perfect sense to me,” Roy says. He grins, then, clearly over the previous topic. “And I mean, if it helps, Bekowsky had a hard time sleeping without you, too.”

Another elbow to Roy’s side; he doesn’t even flinch. Cole chuckles, patting over the spot where Roy had been jabbed. “Is that so?” He asks, turning to Stefan with a mischievous grin on his face. “Did Romeo here tell you that himself?”

Stefan inhales sharply, feeling his cheeks flush red at Cole’s words. He forces out an awkward laugh as he averts his gaze, avoiding the knowing look Cole gives him. “He’s just joking,” he says, “I— I mean, I _did_ miss you. A lot.”

“More than a lot,” Roy cuts in.

“Roy,” Stefan says, and he elbows Roy in the side yet again, “ _Shut up_.”

Humming, Roy offers him a devious grin. “Make me.”

That gets another chuckle out of Cole, pulling away from the two of them to cross his arms and shift his weight to his other foot. “Has the _‘make me’_ thing ever worked for you?” He pokes Roy in the chest. “Ever?”

The grin hasn’t slipped from Roy’s face and this time he gets his revenge by elbowing Stefan in the side, eyebrows raised. “Well,” he says, “It’s worked _once_.”

Cole’s attention snaps towards Stefan. He covers his mouth to stifle a laugh at the other boy’s steadily-reddening cheeks and _God,_ the way he can barely contain the smile on his face is adorable. “ _Once?_ ”

Stefan rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly. “We got bored while you were gone,” he says, “I don’t know.”

With a bewildered burst of laughter, Cole smacks his palm to his forehead. “I thought this was an elaborate _joke!_ ” He pauses to laugh some more, hand over his mouth and eyes shut tight. “Oh my _God,_ is _that_ what happens when I leave you two alone?”

Stefan opens his mouth to speak— it just hangs open. There’s a new realization: he _loves_ Cole’s laugh. He shakes his head and tries to force down his blush. It doesn’t quite work. “Sometimes,” he says, “I— we— _Roy_ always starts it.”

Roy snorts. “That’s not true,” he says, “You _definitely_ started it when we—” He stops. Doesn’t continue that train of thought. “Anyway, the point is I’m not always the one to blame.”

Cole shakes his head with a grin on his face, opening his mouth to respond— but he's cut off by his mother clearing her throat behind him. “I'm sorry to interrupt this little reunion,” Hermione starts, her English accent more prevalent than usual, “but— would you boys like to assist us in unpacking everything?” She offers a gentle smile. “That way, you three can continue this conversation with added air conditioning.”

Stefan snaps his attention to her. “Of course, Mrs. Phelps,” he says, “We’d be happy to help.”

“Would we?” Roy gets a smack on the back of his head this time. “I mean, yes, we would.”

“Then,” Hermione says, gesturing for them to follow along. “Let’s get on with it.”

 

* * *

 

Courtney jolts awake to Jack’s ringtone right next to his ear, repeating and repeating for what feels like forever.

Groaning, he turns over onto his side, eyes shut tightly as he clumsily presses the button to answer the call. He puts the phone to his ear with half of his face buried in his pillow. “Mornin’,” he greets, voice muffled.

“Courtney,” comes Jack’s voice, “It’s five P.M. Have you been asleep all day?”

Courtney mumbles something incoherent before finally managing to say actual words. “I was up all night watchin’ _Buzzfeed Unsolved,_ ” he murmurs, rubbing at his eyes and shifting to lie on his back. “I think I fell asleep at, like, nine A.M. So… yeah.”

On the other end, Jack breathes out a quick laugh. “Of course you were,” he says, “I’m not surprised, but… you really should fix your schedule. Y’know, before school starts.”

Courtney can’t help but smile at Jack’s laugh, resting his arm over his forehead. “We’ve got a week,” he says, “I’m trying to make it count.” He pauses, smile widening. “Speaking of, are you going to Elsa’s party on Saturday?”

Jack hums. “Maybe,” he says, “I mean, if you’re going to be there, I can try to make it.”

“I’m going, yeah,” Courtney says, pausing to let out a laugh of his own. He grins wide, almost slyly, even though he knows Jack can’t see him. “As long as I have a date, that is.”

“Well,” Jack says, laughing softly, “I can’t really say no when it’s you asking, can I?”

Courtney nearly _giggles,_ his cheeks coloring pink as he runs a hand down his face. “I don’t know, Jack,” he says, keeping his tone innocent despite how much he wants to let Jack know _exactly_ what’s on his mind, “I’m sure there’s a _whole_ lot of guys wishing they could be hanging off your arm.”

“Unfortunately for them,” Jack starts, “I’m only interested in _you_. What time do you want me to pick you up?”

Courtney hums in thought, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart fluttering in his chest. “How about…” He trails off, squinting up at the ceiling as the cogs turn in his mind. Right as he starts to space out, an idea hits him. “Oh! How does six sound? The party isn’t ‘till seven, but…” He bites his lip to try and suppress a giddy grin. “That just gives us more time to ourselves.”

“Sounds perfect,” Jack says, and Courtney _swears_ he can hear him smiling, “I’ll be looking forward to it. More than you know.”

“Me too,” Courtney hums, moving to sit up and rub the remaining sleep out of his eyes. He yawns before continuing. “Are you at work right now?” Quite the change in topic, but— he feels that if they just kept flirting, he might explode.

“I’m on break,” Jack says, and there’s fabric shifting in the background. He’s probably looking at his watch. “I get off in an hour from now.”

Courtney laughs. “Aw, you’re using your break to talk to little ol’ me?” He flutters his eyelids— then he snorts, laughing again. “I just batted my eyelashes and you couldn’t even see it. You _really_ gotta get a phone that supports video calls.”

“I like my phone,” Jack says, “I can make calls and I can text. What more do I need?"

“What you _need_ is to see _me_ in all my glory,” Courtney states matter-of-factly. After that, he starts giggling, flopping back down in his bed.

“I mean, that’s _almost_ enough to convince me,” Jack says, tone joking, “I could always just go over to your place if I want to see you, though.”

An impish grin spreads across Courtney’s face. “Is that a promise?”

“If you’ll have me, yeah,” Jack says, “Guess we’re gonna be seeing each other a _lot_ sooner than Saturday.”

There’s a beat of silence. Courtney’s head is telling him to _shut up_ and absolutely _not_ say what his heart wants to, but— he’s never been a good listener. “Oh, I’ll _definitely_ have you,” he blurts out, immediately screwing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Um— if that was weird, just ignore it.”

Jack hums softly. “I don’t know,” he says, “I kind of like the sound of that.”

 _Oh._ Courtney breathes in sharply— breathes out in a shaky laugh. “I— I didn’t think that’d work,” he admits, sitting up and squinting at the shafts of sunlight coming in through the window. “Should I get out of bed?”

Jack lets out a laugh of his own. “Probably,” he says, and it isn’t clear whether he’s joking or not— at least, not to Courtney. “Or you could stay there for ease of access.”

Courtney lets out a strangled noise in surprise, stuttering over all of his words. “I— I mean, I g— I guess? I guess!” His shock gives way to laughter, face flushing a deep red. “Wait, are we, like— really doing this?” He doesn’t wait for a response, continuing with his heart pounding in his chest. “My— my parents are gonna be home in, like, thirty minutes.”

“Well, I was joking, but—” Jack snorts. “If you really want this, I can leave work early.”

“ _Yes!_ ” Immediately, Courtney slaps his palm to his forehead, dragging his hand down his face. _Reel it back, dumbass._ “I mean— yeah, sure. Sounds, um— sounds good.”

“Then I guess I’ll be seeing you in a few minutes,” Jack says, and with that, he hangs up.

For a long time, Courtney just stares at his phone with wide eyes, his heart pounding against his ribcage. _Did that really just happen?_ He snaps back to reality with a sharp inhale, shaky hands navigating to his messages. He taps on Jack’s name and begins to text, having to re-type and autocorrect almost _everything._

 **me lol  
** hey um?? is this really happening lol????? tell me when ur at my door  
**5:42 PM Tuesday, August 7th**

When Jack texts back in the blink of an eye, his heart jumps.

 **jack  
** I’m already on my way to my car, so… yeah. Text you when I’m there.  
**5:43 PM Tuesday, August 7th**

Grinning wide, Courtney flops back and turns off the screen of his phone, burying it in his face and kicking his legs. He just can’t stop _giggling_ like a little kid— it keeps going even when he turns his screen back on to send one last text.

 **me lol  
** ok!!!! cool yea see u soon!!!!  
**5:44 PM Tuesday, August 7th**

 

* * *

 

Marie’s summer has been absolutely perfect.

Sure, she’s been cooped up at home for all of it, but… it’s nice. It’s nice to have a break from all the excitement of the school year, from all the art projects and assignments, from _everything._ It was a bit of a downer without Cole there, but there was something at the very beginning of July that made it all better.

Everybody had celebrated the 4th of July together. While the boys lit fireworks and goofed off, Marie and Elsa stayed behind, sitting in the back of Jack’s pickup truck with a bottle of stolen champagne between them. After a long, long silence, just appreciating the colors and patterns lighting up the sky, Elsa had turned to her with a sly grin on her face and an awfully tipsy plan in her eyes.

“Hey,” she had said, reaching out to run a hand down Marie’s arm. She linked their fingers together and squeezed softly. “We’ve been friends for a while, right?”

Marie’s eyes fell to their hands first, but then she turned to Elsa with eyebrows raised. “We have, yeah,” she said, head tilted to one side in confusion. “Since freshman year. What’s wrong?”

Elsa gave a slight hum. “Nothing’s _wrong,_ ” she said, eyes meeting with Marie’s before long. She opened her mouth to continue— shut it before she could even draw a breath, unable to stop the laugh that bubbled out of her chest and the blush that spread across her cheeks. “I think I want to kiss you.”

If those seven words were packed into a bullet, Marie would’ve been taken out in one shot. She responded with a wheeze at first, unable to find her words, until— “ _Me?_ I mean— Elsa, you’re…” She stopped and let out a laugh of her own, more nervous than the other girl’s. “You’re _you._ The star of the Theatre department, the— the girl that everybody’s in love with.” She inhaled sharply, unable to hold such an intense stare.

Elsa laughed again. “Why do you think I pestered administration so I could be put in an Art class with you?” She went on before Marie could respond. “Why do you think _you’re_ always my plus-one, my soul confidant?” Her hand moved to Marie’s face, then, rubbing her warm cheek softly with her thumb. “I’ve had a crush on you since we met as freshmen, Marie.”

Eyes wide, Marie just _stared._ She stared for what felt like forever, eyes darting around Elsa’s face the entire time. Then, without another word, she moved in and closed the gap between their lips.

The bursts of color in the sky weren’t the only fireworks that night.

Ever since then, Marie and Elsa have been inseparable; always at each other’s houses, always spending as much time with each other as possible, always savoring every moment in each other’s arms. Marie still can’t believe it, even a month later— even while she’s at Elsa’s place right now, reading a trashy romance novel in her bed. She’s lying on her stomach with her legs kicking behind her, focused intently on the travesty of writing in her hands.

From the restroom, Elsa hums. “Baby, can you take a look at this?”

Marie’s attention snaps up to the doorway. “Sure,” she says, slipping her bookmark between her two current pages and setting her book aside. She moves off of the bed and makes her way into the restroom, lingering in the doorway as she watches Elsa fiddle with her hair— she’s woven it together in a braid that stops just above her collarbone.

Elsa turns to Marie with a wide grin, gesturing to the braid as if it’s a prize on a game show. “What do you think? Fitting, or no?”

Returning the smile, Marie moves so she’s in front of her. She brushes a few strands of hair out of Elsa’s face, hand trailing down to gently lift the braid to examine it closely. “I think it looks really nice, but—” She snorts. “Are you _sure_ you wanna give Roy more ammunition?”

Elsa scoffs, giving a fond roll of her eyes. “If he starts singing _Let It Go_ again, I’m punching him in the nose,” she says, turning back to her restroom mirror and setting everything straight. Quietly, Marie moves to stand next to her, resting her head on Elsa’s shoulder. With a soft smile, Elsa reaches up to carefully thread her fingers through Marie’s hair. “I love you, Marie.”

Marie returns the smile, shifting to press a kiss to Elsa’s cheek. “I love _you,_ Elsa,” she says, returning her head to her shoulder as soon as possible. “Are you excited for the party on Saturday?”

“ _God,_ yes,” Elsa says, giving a small laugh. “It’s our last respite before school starts back up; of _course_ I’m excited.” She moves to wrap an arm around Marie, hand resting on her waist. “Not only that, we’re going _official._ That’s the real thrill of all this.”

Marie can’t help the shy blush that lights up her cheeks, nor can she help the bashful grin as she buries her face into Elsa’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to wait for a party to make it official,” she says, giggling uncontrollably.

“Maybe I wanted to,” Elsa says, turning so she can hold Marie with both arms around her. She rests her chin on the top of the shorter girl’s head, which is now instead buried in her chest. “After all, I’m _quite_ dramatic.”

“Oh, yes you are,” Marie gets out between laughs, taking a moment to calm down and fan her face. “I’m just— I’m so _happy_ we’re dating. I never thought it was possible to love someone so much.”

Elsa hums, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Well, now you know,” she says, brushing her hands through Marie’s hair in a loving gesture. “Now _I_ know.”

Marie looks up at her with bright green eyes full of stars and sheer, unadulterated adoration. “Now,” she starts, tucking a few strands of hair behind Elsa’s ear, “we _both_ know.”

* * *

 

When Cole left for New York, he didn’t know he’d miss Stefan so much.

He didn’t know how much he’d miss his sunny smile, how much he’d miss his infectious laugh, how much he’d miss just _looking_ at him… he was telling the truth when he said that he could barely fall asleep for the first week. All he could think of was _Stefan,_ his best friend, the most important person in his life, the boy he had spent every second with ever since they met in preschool. Not having Stefan there was like having a hole in his heart, empty and hollow and impossible to be filled.

The only reason they had come home a week early is because Cole made up this whole _thing_ about being homesick and missing his own bed, when in reality he just needed to return that missing chunk to his heart. Over the summer, he had some pretty startling revelations: one, he’s going to be the Track captain for this year, and two, he’s been head-over-heels in love with Stefan since seventh grade. It made almost _too_ much sense— why else did he always imagine Stefan when he had to kiss someone for a play, especially after he came out?

Cole breathes out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. If this were a movie, now would be the _perfect_ time to confess to his feelings— the last few rays of light from the sunset are hitting them in the right way, they’re lounging next to each other on the roof… Actually, he’s probably _read_ a scene like this in a YA novel, now that he thinks about it.

He’s taken out of his thoughts by Stefan breaking the silence. “I missed this,” Stefan says, and he’s leaning back on those ridiculously toned arms of his. A laugh escapes him. “I missed _you_.”

Cole glances over to him, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. “I missed you, too,” he says, moving to lie down with his arms behind his head. “It's just— It feels really, _really_ good to be here again. With you.”

Stefan chuckles again, and he flops back to match him. “Well, I’m glad,” he says, and he turns his head to flash him a smile, “Things weren’t the same without you.”

Cole lets out a laugh of his own. “I find that hard to believe,” he says, unintentionally quiet and soft. “I'm just one person.” He turns his gaze to the sky— but it doesn't last long, as he's looking at Stefan again before even a minute passes. He can't pass up an opportunity to stare into those handsome blue eyes or appreciate that bright smile of his; no, he'd sooner die.

“Come on, dude,” Stefan says, and he reaches out to lightly punch Cole in the shoulder. “You’re my best friend. I like having you around.” He shakes his head with another laugh, turning his attention towards the sunset. “I mean, I love hanging out with Roy and all, but… he’s not you, y’know? Far from it, really.”

Okay, Cole very well _might_ die if Stefan keeps going on like this. As it is, he's staring again, the warmth in his face trailing up to his ears. “I— I suppose,” he concedes, shifting to lie on his side as he takes in Stefan's every move, inadvertently going silent as he just… _regards_ him with half-lidded eyes.

Stefan seems to notice, as he snaps his gaze back to Cole, eyebrows raised. “What are you staring at?” He asks, and his next words have a teasing lilt to them, “I mean, I _know_ I’m attractive and all, but…” He trails off with another chuckle.

Cole scoffs and rolls his eyes, but there's something deeply fond to it. “Oh, come off it,” he says, gently pushing him in the chest. “I was just…” Now he's drawing a blank, eyes dropping to the tile of the roof. “I— I don't know, I must've spaced out.”

Stefan hums, moving to ruffle Cole’s hair. It’s an old, familiar action— but what _isn’t_ familiar is the way his hand lingers, fingers brushing his cheek. “It’s fine,” he says, voice unusually soft, “I was just joking, anyway.” He gives a bright grin.

Breath caught in his throat, Cole just can't stop _staring._ He hopes that Stefan doesn't notice the way his face is burning under his touch, or the way his eyes drop to the other boy's lips before darting back up to meet his eyes. Unwittingly, Cole leans into his palm. “You've always been the biggest jokester out of us all,” he says, a bashful smile playing at his lips. He clears his throat then, opting for a change of topic so he doesn't do anything he might regret. “Hey, so, you've heard about Elsa's party, right?”

Much to Cole’s regret, Stefan pulls his hand back. “She won’t let anyone forget,” he says, and he quirks an eyebrow, “Why do you ask? Looking for a platonic date?”

 _More like romantic._ Cole bites his tongue to keep that from slipping out, running a hand through his hair as he averts his gaze. “If that's fine with you, yes,” he says, almost nervously locking eyes with Stefan again. “I think it'll be fun. Just the two of us, you know?”

“Might as well,” Stefan says, and he brushes Cole’s now-disheveled hair out of his face. “I mean, who else was I gonna go with? Roy’s already got a date with a cheerleader or...   _something_.” He shakes his head. “I think he needs an intervention before he’s dated half the school. He was complaining the other day he can’t go anywhere without running into an ex.”

Cole snorts, shaking his own head. “Then he should stop—” He cuts himself off with a laugh, a sheepish smile crossing his face. “I don't know, being a fuckboy?”

“Why don’t you try telling him that?” Stefan asks, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless. “‘Cause, I mean, I already tried that approach when he was complaining and we just ended up…” He coughs, clearing his throat. “Y’know.”

Eyebrows raising, Cole tries to ignore the ache in his heart. “No, I _don't_ know,” he says, inching just a bit closer to Stefan on the roof. “What happened between you two, for real?”

At that, Stefan’s cheeks redden. He’s intentionally avoiding Cole’s gaze, now. “I—" He inhales sharply and abruptly sits up, tearing his fingers through his hair. It falls in his face. “I don’t know, we kind of… _slept_ together. It was a couple days after Jack texted him and I was thinking he was just looking for some sort of— rebound, I guess? Except things didn’t really stop after that and…” He trails off, eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah, it’s complicated.”

Sitting up, Cole reaches out to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder— but he pulls away as soon as his fingers brush the fabric of Stefan's shirt, as if he'd just touched a hot stove. “Oh.” He winces involuntarily at not only the weight of the admission, but also at the amount of _disappointment_ that makes its way into his tone. He swallows hard, looking away with his eyebrows knit together and a frown on his lips. “Uh— sorry.”

Stefan snaps his attention to him, mouth hanging open slightly. From the concerned look on his face, he’s noticed the change in Cole’s demeanor. “Don’t worry about it,” he says, and he rubs at the back of his neck, averting his gaze yet again. “S’not like it means anything. We were… bored and we’d made out a couple times before, so it…” Another sharp intake of air. “It kind of just happened.”

Cole runs his hand down his face. “I _suppose_ that makes sense,” he says, although he knows he doesn't sound entirely convinced. He goes startlingly silent, fingers tapping on the shingles of the roof. _Would it have been different if I stayed?_ No, he can't say that. Instead, he opts to finally place his hand on Stefan's shoulder, forcing a smile and changing the subject even further. “Let's climb back into my room,” he says. “We have some _Netflix_ to catch up on together.”

Stefan offers him a sincere smile. “Sounds good,” he says, and the smile turns into a grin, “I’ve already decided I’m staying the night, so good luck trying to get rid of me.”  
**  
** Boldly, Cole gives Stefan's shoulder a small squeeze. “I wouldn't dream of it.”


End file.
